PRESS RELEASE
November 17, 2021
Youth organizations from all over the Philippines are set to kick off their advocacy campaigns this November 2021 with the goal to address different needs in their chosen communities and sectors.
Under the Youth Leaders Incubator, a digital civic learning program launched in September 2021 by Out of The Box Media Literacy Initiative (OOTB), together with Mano Amiga Philippines and Meta, 10 organizations will receive mentorship and technical assistance from civic and community leaders and receive seed funding to amplify their advocacies for the next five months.
The 10 organizations were selected from a pool of nationwide applications and screened through the advocacy plans they crafted in the program’s earlier training phase, which included workshops on digital citizenship and community engagement.
The campaigns are diverse, with advocacies ranging from press freedom to good governance; from HIV awareness to environmental sustainability. The teams will launch community initiatives that focus on the common good and promote general welfare.
Among the projects to be launched are Positive VIBES’ “#KAMALAYAN: Kabataan para sa Malayang Halalan,” a voter’s education campaign for the youth of Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao; “Simulan Natin 2022” by GoodGovPH, which seeks to engage youth voters from Cavite for the 2022 elections; Love Education Philippines’ “#LiderAko Campaign,” an empathy-based leadership learning kit for children; and UP Community Development Circle’s “PAHAYAGAN kontra AGRESYON,” that aims to highlight the role of the campus press in fighting development aggression.
Other campaigns set to roll out include “Panubli: An Ilonggo Heritage Preservation Initiative” by Junior Executive Society, which aims to promote the work of local Ilonggo artists through collaborations; “ArtivisTAYO” by Black Canvas, which aims to raise awareness on artists’ welfare and advocacies; and Team Dugong Bughaw’s “Project High Five Digital” that seeks to address the lack of HIV/AIDS awareness among Iloilo youth.
Also included in the top 10 organizations are UPLB Babaylan’s HIV screening initiative for Southern Tagalog Pride organizations; Youth of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente’s “Project Rayaw: A youth-led journey with the Mangyans,” a Romblon- and Mindoro-based initiative to raise awareness on the issues of Mangyans; and Zero Waste Youth Romblon’s “Project Busoy: Local Seedling Nursery” that aims to establish a community seedling nursery.
By the end of the mentorship program, top three teams will be selected and will receive tokens and continuous technical support for their advocacy campaigns until the end of 2022.
Out of The Box Media Literacy Initiative (OOTB) is a non-government organization that works to mainstream media literacy practices in the Philippines through campaigns, workshops, and educational resources. Founded in 2014, it has helped students, teachers, and individuals become media and information literate and get involved in social issues and community affairs.
For correspondence, email info@ootbmedialiteracy.org.
